Start again
by AliceForNow
Summary: War is over and there is finally time to talk, to see friends and to apologise to that girl you should have never broken up with. Harry-Ginny fic, canon.(Brief Hermione-Ron)


Harry sat waiting on a chair, rolling his repaired wand in between his finger absentminded. He was aware that all the old head masters were watching him but were faking to sleep. He was glad; he didn't want to talk to them. He had so many questions for Dumbledore's portrait, still, but they were all a blur in his head so he sat and waited for Hermione and Ron to finish watching both part of Snape's and part of his memories.

"Harry." Hermione said softly and he looked up to her, seeing she had tears in her eyes. Ron had a surprised face.  
"Now you know everything." Harry said and got up. Hermione promptly hugged him, he was surprised at first but patted her back.  
"I never knew everything was so twisted and the end, it was so horrible and horrifying. You knew you were going to die and you just stood there. That's incredibly brave." She said, stepping back. Ron slipped his arm around her waist.  
"No, that's stupid." Ron said, half smiling. Harry smiled back.  
"It's not that stupid, my single life against so many others. It really turned out for the better. I had regrets when I stood there, things that could have me running right back if I hadn't kept myself standing right there. These regrets made me realise what I have and I'll do anything to make sure I don't have these regrets anymore." Harry said. They both nodded in understanding.

"Well, I can really use 5 years of sleep." Ron said.  
"I- I still need to do something. You two go, I'll see you in a bit." Harry said to them. They walked out and Harry looked around. He put the pensieve back where it belonged and looked at Dumbledore's portrait, wondering when Snape's would be added and who the next headmaster would be, although he could guess who it was going to be. Now that he was alone he felt so tired and sad, the loss of Fred, Lupin and Tonks made it hard to breathe. He had lied to Hermione and Ron; he didn't need to do anything. He just felt like being alone for a while. He walked out and at the first stairs he saw he sat down for a bit, not feeling like going back to either the Great Hall or the dormitories.

"Harry!" he could hear a voice and he frowned, disorientated. He finally had gotten used to sleeping in the tent, but the bed was particularly uncomfortable today.  
"Harry?" He heard and realised it was Ginny's voice. _What was she doing in the woods?_ He sat upright quickly, wand in his hand and looked around. Only then he realised he was at Hogwarts, his heart slowed down and his eyes searched Ginny, but before he could he got hit in the face.  
"Ow!" He said, rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?" He asked, having located Ginny. He looked at her and she looked furious. He quickly turned her way with his wand pointed at her.  
"Are you going mad? Hiding out here?! We thought you died, you idiot! There are still dead eaters out there and in case you haven't noticed, they are very keen on killing you right now!" She yelled at him. Harry looked at her wide-eyed.  
"I fell asleep, okay? In case you haven't noticed, I was quite busy yesterday!" He yelled back.  
"So was everyone yesterday, but they are smart enough not to randomly fall asleep on a staircase where no one comes! Honestly, you are so stupid I don't even get how you won!" she said.  
"I already told you! I am not the hero everyone thinks I am! I simply got lucky!" He replied. She rolled her eyes.  
"Oh, honestly! That's not true. You are not going tell me that going to die for everyone else is 'not being a hero'? That is being a hero! You did not 'get lucky.'" She said back. Harry frowned_, was she mad or was she complimenting him? _

There fell a silence between them. Harry didn't know what to do but before he could think about it further she was in his arms, her arms wrapped around him tightly, crying. He held her close, smelling that flowery scent he has missed for so long and his tears started to spill too.

"I'm so very sorry, Gin. For everything that happened." He apologized to her.  
"You idiot, don't be sorry, it is not your fault." She said.  
"Are you still mad at me?" he asked.  
"Yes, now shut up." She ordered.  
"Why?" he asked.  
"Because I just want to sit here and hug you because I missed you." She said.  
Harry smiled and hugged her closer. After a while she got out of his arms and sat down beside him and conjured a patronus.  
"Why did you send a patronus?" Harry asked.  
"To tell the others to stop searching for you." Ginny said. Harry took her hand in his and squeezed it softly. Ginny looked up at him. Harry took Ginny by surprise and kissed her softly.  
"I'm still mad at you." She said.  
"Stop being mad at me, you can spend the rest of your life being mad at me, but I need you not to be mad at me." Harry replied.  
"Well, Potter, what's that?" Ginny asked, half smiling, half serious.  
"It's a promise. I should have never let go of you in the first place. I never want to do that again. Worrying if you were okay and if I'd see you before I'd die was horrible." Harry explained.  
"And why do you need be not to be mad at you?" she asked. He looked up at her and then looked back down at their hands.  
"Because I'm mad at myself." He said softly, knowing she would say he shouldn't.  
"It'll pass." She only replied.

"You know, I nearly didn't go to the forbidden forest." Harry told after a minute of silence.  
"Why?" She asked softly.  
"I was really determined but then I saw you and I wanted you to drag back, I wouldn't have gone if you had asked me to. You were caring for a girl back then." Harry admitted.  
"So it was you who passed?" she asked. Harry nodded.  
"I sensed something and I looked up but didn't see anything. I thought about you and your cloak but I didn't want to think about the possibility of you giving yourself over." Ginny told Harry.  
"Maybe we should go find the others." Harry said. Ginny nodded and got up, but when Harry got up he felt down again when there was a stinging pain in his leg that he hadn't felt before. Ginny helped him back up.  
"What happened to your leg?" Ginny asked. Harry groaned as he tried to step.  
"I have no idea." Harry answered. Ginny supported him to walk.  
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Harry now asked Ginny. She shook her head.  
"I got everything fixed already. There will be some scars but it doesn't hurt anymore. Now let's get you to the Hospital Wing." She said. Harry nodded and slowly they made their way to the hospital wing.

When they arrived in the Hospital Wing they saw all the Weasley's and Hermione were there, helping taking care of all the people who were there.  
They looked up when they walked in. Madame Pomfrey quickly made her way to Harry and made him sit on the bed.  
"Will you ever learn, Potter? You died yesterday and you don't even come for a check-up." She said, clearly ever-annoyed by his way of ending up in the hospital wing.  
"I fell asleep." Harry explained.  
"And what happened to your leg?" She asked. Harry shrugged.  
"I don't know." He replied. Madame Pomfrey sighed and cured his leg. Then she checked for other wounds and cured them too. When he wanted to stand up and leave, she stopped him.  
"You died yesterday, I am keeping a watch on you today." She said.  
"But I feel perfectly fine!" Harry objected.  
"Sure you do." She replied and walked away to help someone else, ending their discussing. Harry sighed and drops back on the bed. Ron made his way to Harry's bed.  
"Be glad my sister found you. I would've hit you square in the face." Ron said. Ginny smiled.  
"I did too." She said.  
"Nice one, Ginny." Ron commented.  
"Oh, nice, why don't you all team up on me, while I lay here." Harry said.  
"You just told you were perfectly fine, so you are 'just' laying there." Ginny got up and started helping. Ron walked away again too. Harry lay annoyed and looked at all the others lying there.

"Why isn't Mr Hero helping?" George yelled at Ron.  
"He is not allowed to." Ron yelled back. It took George only seconds to arrive at Harry's bedside.  
"Mr Saviour of the world is not allowed out of bed?" He said.  
"Stop calling me those names." Harry said. George smiled.  
"Sorry Mr Chosen one. You will have to hear that for the rest of your life." He said.  
"Great, looking forward to it." Harry commented. George patted his shoulder.  
"Harry, honestly, if you just want to go then go, no one is going to stop you." George said. Harry took his advice and walked out but within 3 minutes he came back running, closing the door quickly before reporters and such could make their way inside.  
"I was only trying to help you." Madame Pomfrey said when she was passing by. Harry walked after her.  
"Okay, but can I at least help?" Harry said.  
"Bed 3 needs his medication." She answered. Harry thanked her and went to work.

Harry worked for hours and without stopping.  
"Harry." Ginny said.  
"Yeah?" He answered, walking with a green bottle to a bed.  
"Stop working. You need food and there are much less people now here." She said.

"But…" Harry objected. She shook her head and took his hand.  
They got down the Great Hall. Luckily everyone was busy eating already and no one saw them entering. They sat down beside Neville. He smiled at them and continued reading something; Harry didn't really pay attention to it.

He had finally realised how hungry he was and quickly filled his plate with food. He looked up when he felt a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you." Ginny softly said, blushing. Harry smiled at her wide, dropping all his food from his fork.

"I love you too, Gin." He said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

_  
A/N: Another take on how Ginny and Harry get back together after the war. I hope you liked in thanks for R&R.


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